Jaffe not keen on Online Pass for Twisted Metal
Eat Sleep Play boss and Twisted Metal creator David Jaffe feels an Online Pass might do the upcoming franchise reboot more harm than good.
"I'd actually prefer that we don't do it, even though it's probably good business," Jaffe told Eurogamer when asked whether the game would feature an online pass system.
"Only because we have such a mountain to climb in terms of gaining people's good faith, especially in Europe, and really letting people know that this is a title that's worth getting excited about."
"It's not my call and I'd totally understand if Sony as a company said 'Look, this is a mandate that permeates all of our titles. We're not making selective choices.'"
For the franchise's reboot outing, Jaffe is willing to forego an Online Pass system and take a sales hit from second-hand trading if it means more people take a chance on the game.
"I'm okay with the fact that we might lose sales on this first game if, because of it, we generate a lot of fans that otherwise wouldn't have played the game," he said.
"The online is so much the bread and butter of this game, so I'm okay with it because it means we're setting ourselves up for a possible return to the franchise one day."
As far as Eat Sleep Play is concerned, if the PlayStation 3 exclusive earns back Sony's investment, it's done its duty at retail.
"Anything beyond that is gravy. We're not living under any illusions that we're going to do Call of Duty numbers, or even Uncharted 3 numbers," Jaffe admitted.
That said, Jaffe definitely sees the game standing alongside the giants in terms of critical reception.
"In terms of value and fun factor and quality, I would put the multiplayer toe-to-toe with Call of Duty, Battlefield, Uncharted 3, if you like this kind of game. We're worth every penny and more," he said.
"This might come back and bite me on the butt - I don't care - but do I sit here and have moments where I'm like 'I can really see us being nominated for some best multiplayer, best shooter awards next year'? I do. That's how proud I am of it."
The full interview, available through the link above, includes a discussion as to why Twisted Metal was pushed back to February 2012, which features one of Jaffe's trademark colourful swears. Swoon.